


In the Chair

by WhenTheFoxGRINS



Series: SNS Summer Week 2017 [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Inked Universe, M/M, spoilers up to chapter 9
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 20:34:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11260494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenTheFoxGRINS/pseuds/WhenTheFoxGRINS
Summary: Naruto reflects on the changes happening in his life whilst getting work done on his tattoo.





	In the Chair

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Inked](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9157399) by [OfFansAndFlames](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OfFansAndFlames/pseuds/OfFansAndFlames). 



> This is set in the "Inked" universe for OfFansAndFlame's fic (which, if you haven't read, you seriously need to go do so!).  
> There are S P O I L E R S in here up to chapter 9 of Inked!  
> Please be warned that this is not a stand alone piece!

Naruto always felt the most at peace when he was in this chair.  The drone of the irons, the back and forth banter between Suigetsu and Karin, the rock music playing over the sound system.  Aside from work, this place had become something of a second home for him.  It was a place he could feel safe in.

He thought back to the very first time he had stepped through those doors.  The first person he had seen had been Juugo, a large man with bright red hair.  He could still remember declaring _“I want a tattoo”_ when the man had asked him what he was there for.  He’d been so awkward.

And then he’d been directed over to Suigetsu, though aside from his odd hair color and Russian accent, Naruto’s memory of meeting him was a slight bit blurry.  That was probably because he had simultaneously caught sight of _him_ \- a beautiful man lying in a chair nearby.

He could clearly see in his mind’s eye the way Sasuke’s hair fell around the sides of his face, his eyes closed and body so relaxed that the blond swore he had been sleeping.  At the time it didn’t make any sense to him - how could someone be getting inked and just lie there like they didn’t have another care in the world?

But now Naruto knew.  Knew how calming it could be to be the one in the chair, relaxing while someone else took the reigns and worked on you.  Someone that you felt you could _trust_.

Yes, he could trust Sasuke.  It was amazing how close they’d become to each other since that first day in the shop, when the brunette looked like just another customer to him (who would have believed that guy owned the place?).  It had only been a couple of months, but with their interactions both inside and outside of the parlor, Naruto had come to feel as if he’d known the man for years.

The thought was both nice and a bit crushing.  He could feel Sasuke’s hands on him as he worked, and he tried to paint the feeling into his mind’s eye.

In less than two weeks, this would all just be a memory for him.

He was being deployed, and while he had trained for this very point in his life, had prepared himself both physically and mentally for the call, he never thought he’d have to leave something so precious behind him.

It felt unfair.  Those words were always at the corners of his mind, before he brushed them away.  He had no right to complain about what was and wasn’t fair when his country was at war.  Still, his relationship with Sasuke had only just begun to bloom.  It felt as if someone had taken a weed whacker to the seedling that had sprouted up between them before it had a chance to truly shine.

Their date at Shake Shack, the guitar lessons, the amazing sex, hanging out with the guys at the shop, and most recently, the beach at night - it all felt like a happy dream that he would have been complacent to keep on living in.  Even if Sasuke had made it clear that he wasn’t looking for anything long-term, Naruto couldn’t shake the feeling he had when he was with him.  That if there was such a thing as _the one_ , then Sasuke was it.

If only he had had more time.

He could feel Sasuke’s gloved hands moving over his back, feel the irons pumping down and marking his skin permanently.  Sasuke was working on the fifth tail of the fox on his back today.  Ultimately, he wouldn’t be getting all nine done before he left, but he’d take what he could get.

Despite the mess that was his head right now, his body felt at peace.  He was relaxed.  He was safe.  These were the feelings he wanted to remember.  When he was a million miles from home, these were the memories he wanted to hold onto.

He knew that the moments now were forever fleeting from him, but he’d keep his head held tall, his shoulders squared.  He’d face it all head on, like he always had.

Maybe Sasuke wasn’t meant to be a “forever” in his life.  Maybe this was all doomed to end before it ever really began.  Even still, Naruto wouldn’t let himself forget this.  Wouldn’t let himself forget the joy and excitement that Sasuke brought into his life.  Wouldn’t forget the new friends he’d made, or the love that had grown in his heart.

No, certainly not.  For even if his feelings were to one day fade away, and the memories crumbled to dust, one thing would never change.  That was the ink being drawn into his skin.  It would be with him for the rest of his life.  Right now, Sasuke was putting a piece of himself on him and Naruto vowed to cherish it with everything he had, no matter what happened between them now or in the future to come.

And in that very chair, in which so many memories had been carved, the blond took a steady breath in, and, moments later, found himself drifting off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos feed me, but HATE makes me grow stronger. <3


End file.
